On Our Own
by GoWaitInTheCar
Summary: Sasuke has been brought back to Konoha. After serving his sentence in prison, he begins to repair and restore the Uchiha compound to pass his time on probabtion but soon ends up with a much bigger project. Some times the past catches up in the form of the scarred face of a lone female.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I have never really liked Sasuke but after reading a fanfiction that completely made me like him and feel for him, I felt compelled to write one about him. Amazing how fanfictions can totally change one's opinion of a character when expressed so genuinely. The first half of this chapter starts off where Sasuke comes back at the age of 18. This is an original character based fanfiction so if you hate reading those, click the back button. Please don't hate on my oc or her clan : x

I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippoden.

**On Our Own**

A young girl stood on the water fountain's ledge, away from the crowd. She was 12 years old, her growing, gawky limbs made her figure awkward and skinny, standing there. Her dark coral eyes focuses on the man of infamous tales. Everyone in town littered the streets. Everyone wanted a sight of the missing nin but he was not just any missing nin. No, he was something more. Something some could call "a legend" although infamous. She wanted to see this man who killed his own sensei, Orochimaru. She wanted to see the face that had Naruto Uzumaki jump at the mention of his name, the one that made Sakura Haruno tense up. She wanted to see the man who killed his own brother in the name of vengeance. She wanted to that face once more, to know he was real and not some hallucination from her traumatic memory.

He was young, attractive despite how badly one might imagine from his actions. Every citizen in Konoha had been hyped up for the arrival of the last Uchiha, but he walked passed them with his head held high and his eyes forward, ignoring their stares and whispers. His hands were bound behind his back with chakra rope and a seal was visible through the opening of his shirt that revealed he had his chakra sealed within. Anbu members walked on all sides of him, escorting him through the streets to the Hokage tower. It was a walk of shame but he did not care. He allowed himself to be caught, allowed his hands to be bound, allowed the chakra seal to be placed. He was back home and there were lots of unanswered questions.

The young girl slid her hand on her hooded head, slowly pulled the dark purple material of her zip-up hoodie forward. His name rolled off her tongue, her scarred lips mouthing, "Sasuke.."

After a week of deliberation, Sasuke Uchiha was free of all charges but had to pay for the time he was with Orochimaru. He was to serve three years in prison and spend the next two years on probation, forbidden to use his chakra or leave the village. Some were outraged at the lenience and the forgiveness but a majority of the citizens understood his vendetta with sympathy. He was just a little boy when his family and clan were slaughtered by his older brother. He left to take vengeance on Itachi and took dangerous paths. The pity they once had for Sasuke Uchiha was still heart wrenching to know that he grew up with such hate in his own heart. He went without a word to serve his prison sentence and did not speak to anyone.

**Three and half years later..**

"Mia, for the last time; You're too old for the academy now. There are no available jonins to accept you as student. " Tsunade said, her arms folded under her bosom. She stood behind the Hokage's desk, next to the Rokudaime Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto made a frown at Tsunade's words. He hated when Tsunade was brutal with her words but it was the truth. Naruto had propositioned all jonins without students with earnest effort in finding Mia a sensei. Not one wanted to take on a student at the time and four years later, they still refused. He knew why but he refused to say it, refused to believe they were afraid of Mia to becoming another Sasuke, only living for vengeance. The rest of the jonin didn't want to take on a student that would cause as much trouble and grief as Sasuke did for Kakashi. Her past wasn't a secret just as Sasuke's hadn't ever been. When you're the last of a respected and feared clan, word gets around quickly. Especially when your kekkei genkei is now the last of its kind.

Tsunade did not originally agree to allow Mia a Leaf Jonin as a sensei, worrying for the safety of the citizens of Konoha if she were to awaken her kekkei genkei. After Naruto pressured her into giving the young girl a chance, it was much to her relief that no one would accept her.

"What about Shikamaru Nara? Neji Hyuga?" a purple hooded teenage girl's protest sounded almost desperate. Her scarred lip trembled at the rejection of becoming a full-fledged shinobi again. Her dark coral eyes began to tear up, "It's been almost four years I have been asking. Please do not deny me my obligation to be a strong member of my clan and repay my debt to Konoha by serving it."

"I'm sorry, Mia. Shikamaru doesn't feel he is ready for such a huge role and Neji Hyuga simply can not." Naruto left out that Neji was an active Anbu member. To juggle his duties to his clan, Anbu and taking student's under his wing was too much to take on. He asked everyone and no one would accept. He could not order them to take her on. It wouldn't be fair to _her_.

Mia's fist trembled as a tear fell, stalling slightly at the raised skin of her brutal facial scars. Her heart raced in frustration. Her mind kept trying to find a loophole, anything to fight. "What if.. what if I find someone to train me? Could I ever be a Leaf shinobi then?"

"Uh, well.." Naruto scratched his head before looking at his processor Tsunade. He knew how she felt but it was ultimately his decision now. He chewed his lip before finally answering, "If you can find a jonin to accept you as a student, you can enter the chunin exams to prove yourself."

Mia offered a small smile and bowed, "Thank you."

Mia left and Tsunade gave Naruto a disapproving look. "Are you sure about this?"

"If we don't help her, she'll leave like Sasuke did." Naruto rubbed his temples. Being Hokage was a lot harder than he thought it would be.

Author's note: First chapter! Yayyyy! *wild Kermit arms*  
Please leave a review with what you think so far? How do you think Mia knows Sasuke?


	2. Chapter 2

Kakashi leaned against the support beam, one long leg stretched out before him as the other hung off the side of the porch. Sasuke took a knee while reattaching the new hinges to the old sturdy door of his Uncle's old home.

Sasuke was not allowed visitors in prison but since his probation, Kakashi had made it a priority to visit with Sasuke when he could. Only Naruto and Kakashi frequented the compound. There were no other visitors. Not even Sakura could bring herself to speak to Sasuke yet. She was still hurt, still betrayed. She looked the other way in passing but he kept his eyes forward, never looking back at her. He didn't mind the solitude. In fact, he was relieved to be left alone a majority of the time. Repairing the Uchiha district was keeping him occupied and his mind on other things. Not being able to use his chakra for the last three and a half years, his body still reacted to draw on it but nothing happened in response.

"Sasuke," he lazily said. He already knew the answer but he needed to hear it from Sasuke himself. He didn't know if the younger shinobi would answer him but he had to ask regardless. His student left years ago to pursue his goal with the legendary Sannin Orochimaru to train him. To Kakashi, Sasuke was still the prideful youth who was distant and only focused on getting stronger. Beyond his determined and angry eyes was a broken little boy. But in front of him was a man who held such tremendous power and skill. That broken little boy was a shell left behind now. Kakashi had only admitted to himself that he was heartbroken that he failed Sasuke as a teacher, a protector, a comrade, a friend.

Sasuke looked up at him from his kneeled position.

"In the end, was it worth it?"

Sasuke's brows knitted, his eyes and hands going back to what he was working on, ignoring his former sensei. He wasn't going to give Kakashi the ability to say 'I told you so'. Kakashi's warning about revenge had made him question the hate that had been in his heart when he was younger but within a few hours, he left Konoha with Orochimaru's minions. To be honest, he couldn't really give him an answer anyway. Finding out the truth about Itachi after he died, he spiraled into another path of anguish and darkness. The only thing that changed his heart on destroying Konoha was his brother. Seeing Itachi one last time during the war, it helped him struggled out of his darkened heart and finally decide to come home. It took him a few years to finally surrender but he did and served his time without a word. Sasuke looked over at Kakashi who had gone back to reading his worn and tattered Icha Icha.

Mia's body was no longer a dangly adolescent. Her figure was starting to form into a young woman's. Her legs had become thicker with muscle and her arms more toned. Mia's index and middle fingers were wrapped together; her hands were dusty from the chalk powder. Gripping one of the many wooden bars running across the wall of the gymnasium, she pulled her body up against the horizontal bars and with steady upper strength, her legs outstretched into a perfect line, balancing herself against gravity.

After an afternoon of training herself in the gymnasium, Mia walked home the same old road she did every day. The sun had set a while ago and the crickets had started chirping. The gate with the faded fan came into view. She had only one hope left in Konoha and he resided behind that old gate. She had never seen the gate open and if she was going to get an answer, she was going to have to get into the compound.

Mia pulled the purple hood of her hoodie over her head and ran to the wall of the Uchiha compound, jumping over and landing on the inside with a light thud. It was dark and eerily quiet. She walked with careful and quiet steps onto the main street. The street lights had been blown out long ago and she could see graffiti written on some homes with broken windows. Thieves and vandals had no regard to the Uchiha's memory. It made her sad to see the district so run down and she hoped her own clan's abandoned compound didn't look like this now.

Unaware of a presence behind her, the piercing tip of a kunai was pressed against her neck.

"There's nothing of value here. Leave now and I'll spare your life." said a cold, flat voice. She had never heard that voice but she knew exactly who it belonged to without having to guess. The voice was so cold it sent a chill down her body. The hair on her neck stood up.

Gulping, Mia slowly held her hands up. "I'm not a thief. I came here to speak to you, Sasuke Uchiha." She slowly turned around, her hands still up and for the first time in six years, she made eye contact with the last of the Uchiha, his sharingon was no activated. He held the kunai right under her chin, his brows knitted and he did not say another word.

"I need a jonin to train me to be a ninja. I have asked everyone in this village. You're the only one left"

"I am not a jonin by their ranks. A genin can not take a student under their wing." He replied flatly.

"But you defeated Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin. You killed Akatsuki memebers, did you not? You're stronger than Konoha's jonins." Mia's eyes did not leave Sasuke's. Her determination did not waiver.

"Even if I could, I don't have patience to be a sensei."

"Don't start making excuses like the others. You're the only one left"

Sasuke dropped the kunai and turned to walk away, "My answer is no."

Mia's eyes widened. Sasuke's refusal made sure her hopes would never come to light. Her emotions flexed from determined to panic to anger within seconds as she yelled, "You owe me!"

"I don't owe you anything. I don't know you" he said without giving her another chance to protest as he headed up the stairs of a porch of a house.

Mia ran to the base of the porch and whipped her hood off her head, her finger pointing to the large scars running across her face, "You don't recognize me?! I was ten years old when Orochimaru exterminated my clan for refusing to work with him!"

That grabbed Sasuke's attention. He stopped and looked back at her.

"He slaughtered my mother and my sisters while they defended our clan. These scars are a reminder of that day." Her voice broke in a struggled attempt to keep from crying out of frustration.

"You were the little girl under the floorboards" Sasuke finally gave her his full attention, coming off the porch to meet her where she stood. His memory traced back to that night.

_Outside the house he walked through, he could hear the ground rumbling from jutsus being performed and women's screams. He was looking for something for Orochimaru but so far had turned up nothing. Sasuke stood in the doorway of a room. The bed was unmade and the frame was crooked, away from the wall. It was moved in a hurry. Sasuke pushed the bed over, revealing a small cellar door. Pulling it open, Sasuke's sharingan was met with terrified coral eyes. A young girl gasped and scooted further into the cellar, her back against the wall but not out of sight of the red eyes of a younger Sasuke. Her hand held the open wound on her cheek, blood seeping through her fingers and down her forearm. Blood covered her chest and tears streamed down her face, clearing a path through the blood. In that moment, Sasuke had a flashback of his own self being terrified of Itachi the night his family was murdered. He saw himself in the girl's eyes. He should kill her, he knew he should. Instead he pressed his finger to his lips, silently telling her to remain quiet. She nodded and he shut the cellar door, pulling the bed back over and straightening it out to not raise any suspicions._

"Yeah, that was me. My sister killed the man who did this to me and tried to hide me. But you found me. You could have killed me but you didn't. You let me live while everything I had known and loved was destroyed. I was too young and too weak to fight, my kekkei genkei had not awakened and I listened to their screams, unable to do anything! You may have spared my life but you helped murder everyone I loved. You owe me, Sasuke Uchiha." Mia did not back down even as Sasuke stood before her, his arms across his chest. He could kill her here, within a blink but she didn't fear death. No, she didn't fear dying anymore. Losing everything takes away your fear. Her coral eyes radiated that fearlessness.

For what seemed like a lifetime, Sasuke did not say anything. He only held her gaze as if reading her. He turned to leave again, "I can't teach you much while my chakra is sealed but if it means a way for you to survive, I'll train you"

Mia closed her eyes, sighing in relief. "When do we begin?"

Author's note: A little more is revealed about who Mia is but soon we'll find out what her kekkei genkei is and more about her clan. What do you guys think so far? I'm anxious to hear. Reviews truly do inspire us writers into seeing our stories through. I hate finding wonderful stories and then realizing they hadn't been updated in years and so little love for them.


End file.
